Siti Hasnah Hassan

Generation Z makes up the largest proportion of the world’s population and owns active spending power. Born in the internet information age, they have diverse values and consumer behaviors compared to other cohorts of generations. While there has been a significant increase in research on the purchasing behavior of Generation Z in recent years, there are particularly few bibliometric studies in this field. This study aims to sort out the current research status on the purchasing behavior of Generation Z, identify the evolution of purchasing behavior research of Generation Z, determine key research hotspots, and explore future research directions and priority suggestions by analyzing the current literature. The bibliometric analysis is based on the citation information of 638 literature items about Generation Z purchasing behavior in the Scopus database. The results sort out the knowledge structure of the purchasing behavior domain of Generation Z and draw a visual map of the network. Four popular research themes are identified based on keyword co-occurrence analysis, namely the influencing factors of Generation Z consumption behavior, the comparative study with other generations of consumers, the analysis from the perspective of human demography, and the study of sustainable consumption behavior. Studies on Generation Z consumers’ spending habits from 2001 to 2022 may be divided into three stages related to the growth process of Generation Z. Future research should focus on the influence of social media on the purchasing behavior of Generation Z and the sustainability of their consumption patterns.

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
Digital menu systems have revolutionized restaurant operations by catering to consumers’ demand for convenience and personalized dining experiences. However, the performance of the ordering system varies across restaurants, making it essential to understand how digital menu system satisfaction influences key drivers of dining experience. Cross-sectional, self-administered online survey (convenience sampling) was conducted among 448 Malaysian restaurant patrons from December 2023 to May 2025 to capture recent dining behavior. Respondents were recruited from a broad range of income groups and dining contexts across urban, suburban, and rural areas in Malaysia, encompassing experiences at low-cost casual eateries, mid-range family, chain restaurants, and upscale venues, thereby capturing socioeconomic variation. The study examines the relationship between performance expectancy, effort expectancy, visual appeal, and perceived engagement, as well as their impact on restaurant loyalty, with the moderating role of satisfaction with digital menu systems. The analysis, conducted using Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM) in SmartPLS 4, assessed the relationships between variables. The results show that performance expectancy (β = 0.173, p < 0.002), effort expectancy (β = 0.208, p < 0.001), visual appeal (β = 0.262, p < .001), and perceived engagement (β = 0.189, p < 0.001) positively predict restaurant loyalty, explaining R² = 57% of variance in loyalty. Nevertheless, digital menu system satisfaction moderates only the relationship between visual appeal and restaurant loyalty (interaction β = 0.089, p = 0.042). The findings demonstrate that well-designed digital menu systems enhance order accuracy, navigation, and decision-making, highlighting the importance of functionality and visual design in fostering customer loyalty.

Acknowledgment
The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia through the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme with Project Code: FRGS/1/2022/SS01/USM/02/11.